New Orleans' food scene celebrates 300 years

Tennessee Williams once said, “America has only three cities: New York, San Francisco and New Orleans. Everywhere else is Cleveland.” There’s nothing wrong with Cleveland, of course, but there’s something worth celebrating about New Orleans. In fact, 2018 is the city's tricentennial anniversary, and the local community is celebrating a 300-year history. This month kicks off a year-long party that pays homage to the culture, history, diversity and resilience of the Crescent City.

First, a brief history: In 1718, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville founded New Orleans, where the French ruled until 1783. The Spanish then took over, and it was briefly turned back to French rule when it was acquired by the USA in the 1803 Louisiana Purchase.

Throughout this time, the city has had its share of highs as one of the most powerful cities in the South, and its lows — Hurricane Katrina being the epitome of devastation. And New Orleans is resilient, a word that’s used often to describe the destination. The passion extends beyond politics; there’s nothing that brings New Orleans together more than food. There are red beans and rice on Mondays, the cochon de lait po' boy at Jazz Fest, and crawfish season, best enjoyed with a cold beer. New Orleanians are the ones who plan what’s for dinner while they’re eating lunch. And if there’s one thing locals love as much as their food, it’s a drink. The tricentennial is just another reason to sip celebratory cocktails, and for the talented bar folks to create something new and exciting for their menus.

Laura Bellucci, the bar chef of SoBou, creates a cocktail that pays tribute to The Vieux Carre that was first mixed in the mid-1930s by Walter Bergeron at New Orleans’ Hotel Monteleone. “The spirits involved are said to represent the mixing of cultures in Nola, with the Benedictine and Cognac representing the French, the sweet vermouth representing the Italians, the rye representing Americans, the Angostura and Peychaud's bitters representing the immigrants from the Caribbean and other nations in the southern hemisphere,” Bellucci says. Her version infuses the cocktail with grilled satsumas. “It’s a local citrus that means so much to New Orleans natives and grows wild all around the city. The grilling process is a nod to the passion that many of us have for cooking.”

Over at LOA in the International House Hotel, Alan Walter has created a cocktail menu to highlight the 300th anniversary and explains that, “for 300 years, the city has been steeped, percolated, marinated and distilled in these unique cultures, rituals and flavors. Our menu at LOA aims to catch the spirit of the season to share a taste of this place.” He says that they draw from the city's natural bounty as well as the cultures and ingredients. “Overall, our aim is to share with our visitors an authentic taste of New Orleans, and to honor this important landmark in the city's 300-year history.”

See the photo gallery above for ways that New Orleans will be celebrating the Tricentennial at restaurants and bars throughout the year.